For decades, advertisers have chosen spokespeople who are the elite of the human gene pool – tall, svelte, proportionate and beautiful, the rest of the population has watched as these Adonis figures pushed product under the guise that they are ‘just like you.’ That [beauty] school of thought is no longer working and it’s time for marketers to go back to the chalkboard.
In an era where Photoshop slim-downs, airbrushed silhouettes and digitally eliminated pores are items to be checked off before a brand hits print, it’s easy to understand how audiences can be left feeling jaded. When the average American is exposed to 600+ ads a day, how can we expect them to remember, and differentiate between, the products that the same recycled, cookie-cutter model-types were promoting?
To really stand out from what has become the norm (or far from norm), advertisers need to get real. Authenticity, sincerity and simplicity are three powerful factors for driving home a message that audiences can relate to and appreciate.
Brands have already made huge impressions by introducing everyday people into their advertising campaigns. In 2004, the personal care brand, Dove, became a trailblazer by launching its Real Beauty campaign, the goal of which was to help change the Western perception that beauty is one size (and one age group) fits all. In 2012, high fashion house, Lanvin, hired real New Yorkers, not models, to pose wearing its clothes in an effort to portray and “celebrate individuals with individuality.”
When planning your next campaign, think about the people who will be buying, using and wearing your product. Remember the remorseful buyer’s sentiment of “It looked better on the hanger;” consumers won’t continue to buy a product if what they get isn’t in-line with what was advertised. Develop a campaign that will fit the person, not the hanger.
